Heat exchanger having reinforcing device

ABSTRACT

A heat exchanger includes two or more heat exchanging boards each having an orifice formed by a peripheral flange, and a reinforcing device disposed between every two adjacent heat exchanging boards and having a bore aligned with the orifices of the heat exchanging boards for reinforcing the heat exchanging boards and for preventing the heat exchanging boards from being distorted or deformed, and the reinforcing device includes one or more openings communicating with the bore of the reinforcing device and communicating with a space formed between the heat exchanging boards for allowing the heat medium to flow through the spaces between the heat exchanging boards and to flow into or out of the orifices of the heat exchanging boards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularlyto a heat exchanger having an improved reinforcing structure or devicefor suitably reinforcing the heat exchanging plates or boards orhousings and for preventing the heat exchanging plates or boards orhousings from being distorted or deformed or broken.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical heat exchangers comprise a receptacle including a chamber formedtherein for receiving a heat medium, such as water or fluid, and aninlet and an outlet provided therein for allowing the heat medium orwater or fluid to flow into and out of the chamber of the receptacle.The receptacle further includes a number of plates or boards or housingsdisposed therein, and superposed with each other, and each having a wavystructure arranged to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to flowthrough the wavy plates or boards or housings, and to allow the heatmedium or water or fluid to be heat exchanged indirectly with the otherheat medium within the chamber of the receptacle.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,065 to Bertilson et al. discloses oneof the typical plate heat exchangers also comprising a receptacleincluding a number of plates or boards or housings disposed therein, andsuperposed with each other, and each plate or board including an inletopening and an outlet opening provided therein and each formed by aninner peripheral flange for allowing the heat medium or water or fluidto flow into and out of the receptacle.

However, the plates or boards or housings may have a space formedbetween the peripheral flanges of the inlet openings and the outletopenings of the plates or boards such that the peripheral flanges of theplates or boards may not sustain a great pressure and may have a goodchance to be bent or distorted or deformed or even broken when thepressurized heat medium or water or fluid flows through the inletopenings and the outlet openings of the plates or boards.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional heat exchanging platesor boards or housings for the heat exchangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a heatexchanger including an improved reinforcing structure or device forsuitably reinforcing the peripheral flanges of the heat exchangingplates or boards or housings and for preventing the heat exchangingplates or boards or housings from being distorted or deformed or broken.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a heatexchanger comprising a first heat exchanging board including an orificeformed therein, and including a peripheral flange formed and locatedaround the orifice of the first heat exchanging board, at least onesecond heat exchanging board including an orifice formed therein, andincluding a peripheral flange formed and located around the orifice ofthe second heat exchanging board, and a reinforcing device disposedbetween the peripheral flanges of the first and the second heatexchanging boards, and including a bore formed in the reinforcing deviceand aligned with the orifices of the first and the second heatexchanging boards respectively for suitably reinforcing the first andthe second heat exchanging boards and for preventing the first and thesecond heat exchanging boards from being distorted or deformed, and thereinforcing device including at least one opening formed therein andcommunicating with the bore of the reinforcing device and communicatingwith a space formed between the first and the second heat exchangingboards for allowing the heat medium to flow through the spaces betweenthe heat exchanging boards and then to flow into or out of the orificesof the heat exchanging boards.

The opening of the reinforcing device may either be a notch or a throughpassage. The reinforcing device may also include a wavy structure havinga number of swellings and depressions formed in the upper portionthereof and also having a number of swellings and depressions formed inthe lower portion thereof for communicating the bore of the reinforcingdevice with the space formed between the heat exchanging boards, and thereinforcing device may also be disposed between the peripheral flangesof the heat exchanging boards for reinforcing the boards.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view illustrating two superposed heatexchanging plates or boards or housings and a reinforcing device for aheat exchanger in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of the heat exchanger as shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another partial cross sectional view illustrating the otherarrangement of the heat exchanger;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the reinforcing device of theheat exchanger as shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4, illustrating the otherarrangement or application of the reinforcing device for the heatexchanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a heatexchanger 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a numberof heat exchanging plates or housings or boards 10, 30 disposed andsuperposed with each other, and arranged to allow the heat medium orwater or fluid to flow through the heat exchanging boards 10, 30 with anincreased contacting area, and to allow the heat medium or water orfluid to be heat exchanged indirectly with the other heat medium, suchas ambient air or the like (not shown).

The boards may be formed with a wavy structure (not shown) forincreasing the contacting area between the boards and the heat media,and for increasing the heat exchanging effect. The heat exchangingboards 10, 30 each includes one or more passages or orifices 11, 31formed therein and each formed or defined by a peripheral flange 12, 32,and aligned with each other for controlling or guiding the heat mediumto suitably flow through the passages or orifices 11, 31 of the heatexchanging boards 10, 30.

The heat exchanger 1 further includes a reinforcing structure or device20 disposed between the peripheral flanges 12, 32 of every two adjacentheat exchanging boards 10, 30, and the reinforcing devices 20 eachincludes a ring shaped structure having a bore 21 formed therein andaligned with the orifices 11, 31 of the heat exchanging boards 10, 30respectively for suitably reinforcing the heat exchanging boards 10, 30and for preventing the heat exchanging boards 10, 30 from beingdistorted or deformed or even broken.

The reinforcing devices 20 each further includes a notch or opening 22formed therein and communicating with the bore 21 of the reinforcingdevices 20 and also communicating with the spaces 23 formed between theheat exchanging boards 10, 30 for allowing the heat medium or water orfluid to flow through the spaces 23 formed between the heat exchangingboards 10, 30 and to flow into or out of the orifices 11, 31 of the heatexchanging boards 10, 30, and the reinforcing devices 20 may thus beused to reinforce the heat exchanging boards 10, 30 and to prevent theheat exchanging boards 10, 30 from being distorted or deformed or evenbroken.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the reinforcing devices 201each may also include a ring shaped structure having one or more throughpassages or openings 24 formed therein and also communicating with thebore 21 of the reinforcing devices 201 and also communicating with thespaces 23 formed between the heat exchanging boards 10, 30 for allowingthe heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the spaces 23 formedbetween the heat exchanging boards 10, 30 and to flow into or out of theorifices 11, 31 of the heat exchanging boards 10, 30,

Further alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing device 202may also include a ring shaped structure having a bore 21 formed thereinand aligned with the orifices 11, 31 of the heat exchanging boards 10,30 respectively, and the reinforcing device 202 include a wavy structurehaving a number of swellings 25 and depressions 26 formed in the upperportion thereof and also having a number of swellings 27 and depressions28 formed in the lower portion thereof for communicating the bore 21 ofthe reinforcing devices 202 with the spaces 23 formed between the heatexchanging boards 10, 30.

Accordingly, the heat exchanger in accordance with the present inventionincludes an improved reinforcing structure or device, for suitablyreinforcing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings and forpreventing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings from beingdistorted or deformed or broken.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a first heat exchanging board includingan orifice formed therein, and including a peripheral flange formed andlocated around said orifice of said first heat exchanging board, atleast one second heat exchanging board including an orifice formedtherein, and including a peripheral flange formed and located aroundsaid orifice of said at least one second heat exchanging board, and areinforcing device disposed between said peripheral flanges of saidfirst and said at least one second heat exchanging boards, and includinga bore formed in said reinforcing device and aligned with said orificesof said first and said at least one second heat exchanging boardsrespectively for suitably reinforcing said first and said at least onesecond heat exchanging boards and for preventing said first and said atleast one second heat exchanging boards from being distorted ordeformed, and said reinforcing device including at least one openingformed therein and communicating with said bore of said reinforcingdevice and communicating with a space formed between said first and saidat least one second heat exchanging boards.
 2. The heat exchanger asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one opening of saidreinforcing device is a notch.
 3. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim1, wherein said at least one opening of said reinforcing device is athrough passage.
 4. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid reinforcing device includes a wavy structure.